FC Schalke 04 cooperates with FANZONE to publish digital trading cards
· FC Schalke 04 exclusively works with Mulitsport NFT platform FANZONE
· The club has a rich history and is the second club from the Bundesliga after VfL Wolfsburg that has a collection of digital trading cards with the Berlin Start-up
· First launch is planned for September 8
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Unique, digital merchandise: From September 8 fans of the royal blue team can buy an exclusive trading card. These so-called „Non-Fungible-Tokens“ are digital trading cards that are unique and marked with a serial number. The owner thereby possesses a unique piece, compared to a regular picture from the internet.
The partnership between Schalke 04 and the Multisport NFT website starts with a limited collection of a selected player. Fitting to the clubs history, 1904 pieces will be available. Similar to a traditional sticker album, fans can collect their heroes. The advantages with digital cards are that the owner has a verified unique piece and there are also perks behind every token.
From Thursday, September 8 the first drop of the collection will be available online. At the end of September the „Squad Collection“ will be available. The collection will be available in different rarities as digital trading cards. On the Fanzone.io website and the FANZONE apps for Android and iOS, cards can be bought, collected and sold, with special prices like signed jerseys or VIP tickets being raffled away.
Dr. Bernd Schröder, board member of FC Schalke 04 is very happy about the innovative cooperation: „Together with FANZONE we offer als Schalke supporters that are interested in digital merchandise, especially NFTs something brand new in the Schalke universe. The digital trading cards are a great addition to our portfolio, as they are innovative, highly exclusive and are very rare. The whole world is talking about the NFT topic and trading cards and we are delighted to leave our digital footprint with this project.“
Dirk Weyel, Co-Founder & CEO of FANZONE: “We are very happy to be able to welcome Schalke 04 in our Bundesliga zone. It is one of the clubs with the richest history and has a very large number of passionate fans and connects their its fan engagement activities with a drive for digital innovation. With our beginner-friendly NFT collectibles app, we offer Schalke 04 a new engagement tool and reward old and new fans with a chance of unique fan experiences.“
Technical details: The digital assets from FANZONE are listed on the Polygon blockchain, an Etherum-Sidechain, which is considered to be a „green blockchain“. Thanks to the Proof-of-stake mechanism, the energy consumption is 99,9% lower than other NFTs that are minted directly on Etherum. Compared to the Proof-of-work mechanism, Proof-of-stake requires a lot less electricity.
Blockchain technology enables the creation of limited, digital objects that are not copiable and cannot be shared. These „Non-fungible Token“ (NFTs) guarantee authenticity, rarity and scarcity — a true unique object. Another advantage is that these goods are available on the blockchain for a lifetime and exist independently from apps and app stores. The fans are made the true owners of their collections of rare trading cards and can benefit of possible increases in value.
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ABOUT FANZONE
FANZONE Media is a startup from Berlin, Germany, which develops and operates a next-level fan experience platform, on which limited digital trading cards are secured as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the blockchain. On the FANZONE platform and the FANZONE iOS and Android apps, users can buy, collect, and trade these digital trading cards, they also will be able to use digital trading cards of their favorite sports stars in different fantasy game challenges in the future.
The founders Dirk Weyel, Claudio Weck and Björn Hesse bring decades of experience in the fields of games, sports marketing and blockchain technology.
You can follow FANZONE on Social Media via Telegram and Discord, as well as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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About Schalke 04
The FC Schalke 04 is a club with one of the richest histories in German football. Founded in 1904, the club has had success in almost every decade since, winning 7 German championships and 5 DFB Pokal wins. Their highlight was the UEFA Cup win in 1997. After winning the 2021/2022 title in the 2. Bundesliga, the club is now back in the Bundesliga.
One of their biggest strong suits is their work in building up young players. A lot of international stars have made their first steps in professional football at the club from Gelsenkirchen. Players like Mesut Özil, Max Meyer and Leroy Sané have all come from youth department, now called “Knappenschmiede”.
Through difficult times, the club has prevailed, always supported by their fans. With over 160.000 members, the club is the fourth biggest club in Germany and the 6th biggest in the world. Fans could witness great players throughout the years, including top stars, like Rául, Manuel Neuer, or Olaf Thon.
